Akatian Yacht (Ship)
Description The elegant Akatian Yachts were built centuries ago by the ancient empire of Akatia on the world of Cronmar in Tanglespace. Unlike the Akatian War Galleys that were their contemporaries, Akatian Yachts were not designed for warfare, and it seems that they were intended as pleasure craft for wealthy aristocrats. As Akatian Yachts were an essentially groundling design that had been modified for use in wildspace, the ships are not quite as efficient as most modern spelljammers in their size class. This is reflected in the larger-than-average minimum crew size. Despite this, Akatian Yachts handle relatively well, and are sturdily designed. Two dozen Akatian Yachts are known to have survived the collapse of the empires of Cronmar nearly two thousand years ago. These ships, along with a dozen Akatian War Galleys, were hidden away in a secret depot during the intrigues and warfare that marked the fall of the ancient empires of Cronmar. Intended to be used later as a secret weapon, the powerful mages who hid the vessels were slain before they could reveal their reserve force of spelljammers. Hundreds of years later, the magically-preserved ships were discovered by the Empire of Tyrranous, and served as the first spelljamming vessels of that nation. When these ships were discovered, there were obvious signs that the weaponry which they carried had been hastily mounted just prior to the casting of the spell which preserved the vessels. The obvious inference is that Akatian Yachts were typically unarmed, but that these ships had been gathered together to serve as support ships for the Akatian War Galleys. Although much smaller and less powerful than the Akatian War Galleys which formed the core of the early navy of Tyrranous, the Akatian Yachts formed an important part of that fledgling fleet. As Akatian Yachts are more nimble than goblin Porcupine Ships, and as Tyrranous used only high-level helmsmen to pilot them, these ships were able to run circles around the goblins who were their primary enemy. Because of this, the vessels were initially used as scouts, and as support craft for the War Galleys, typically herding goblin vessels towards the heavier ships. Only nine of these ships were lost to the goblins, and in the years since the First Unhuman War only two other Akatian Yachts have been lost. The remaining thirteen Akatian Yachts can still be found serving in the navy of Tyrranous. Crew During the First Unhuman War, the crew of an Akatian Yacht varied from 10-30 depending on the role of that individual ship. Scouts would have a crew of 10, enough to man all of the weapons, and yet small enough to allow for an extended tour if needed. Yachts being used as light warships would carry 20-30 crew, with at least half of these men being heavily armed marines. In addition to the helmsman, these ships would always have at least one battle mage. Today it is very rare for an Akatian Yacht to operate with a crew larger than 10. The crew of such a ship is arranged along strict military lines, and generally includes a captain (typically a warrior of at least 5th level); a primary helmsman (a wizard or priest of at least 6th level) who also serves as first mate; a chaplain (a priest of at least 5th level) and a battle mage (a wizard of at least 5th level), both of whom serve as secondary helmsmen; three marines (2nd level warriors); and three sailors (0 level or 1st level warriors). In practice, on such a small vessel tasks are often performed by whichever set of hands is free at the time, rather than by whichever crew member is technically responsible. Ship Uses Military Scout: Tyrranous uses the surviving Akatian Yachts as military scouts. In this role the ships are often away from port for months at a time. While an Akatian Yacht is quite a capable combatant in its size class, these ships will attempt to avoid any combat whenever possible. Other Configurations Although they have been refitted many times over the centuries to compensate for normal wear and tear, as well as combat damage, no significant modifications have been made to any of these rare ships. Category:Spelljammers